Ground breaking ceremony for VA project hosted by city of Zebulon

A ground breaking ceremony was held Sept. 11 as the city of Zebulon completed their portion of the sewer and water lines for the VA Clinic which is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. City and county leaders gathered with representatives from contractors and others involved in the construction and utility expansion process. ’This is a big deal for the city and the county and veterans in surrounding communities who will come here for the services they need,’ said Zebulon mayor Joe Walter. When complete, the Veteran’s Affairs Clinic in Pike County will be a 61,000 square foot facility over 11.25 acres with 100 full time employees and will provide care to more than 78,000 veterans in the 10-county area. The building should be complete by the end of 2021 and open to patients by early 2022. ’We are very honored to be selected by VA as the developer for this project and excited about building a state-of-the-art facility here to serve the veterans in the community and surrounding counties,’ said The Molasky Group Senior VP of Development Matt Connolly. ‘Hopefully this will be a catalyst for this part of Pike County and the city of Zebulon. Everyone with the city, county and community have been tremendous in working together to make this a reality.’As of 2018, there were 1,325 veterans living in Pike County and they received $5.5 million in compensation and pension payments, compared to 2,098 veterans who received $9.1 million in Upson, 4,701 veterans who received $20.7 million in Spalding and 10,354 veterans who received $56.9 million in Fayette.Williamson mayor Steve Fry attended the ground breaking event for the VA Clinic. ’As a 41 year U.S. Marine veteran, this is a blessing to all veterans in Pike County and in the surrounding area,’ he said. ‘This will be a place where veterans can come to get the services they need and may lead to further growth in the county. I appreciate everyone’s efforts personally as a veteran.’ Those mayor Walter thanked during the ceremony include current and past council members, water department employees, county commissioners, the city and county attorney, the Edwards family who allowed the pipes to be placed on their property instead of GDOT right of way, Matt Stonica, the local project manager of United Grading and Excavating, John Stover of Carter & Sloope, city administrator Larry Mitcham, county manager Brandon Rogers, Ginny Blakeney, Matt Connolly of The Molasky Group, among others. ’We had to do a lot of work in a hurry to provide the utilities needed for this project and I’d like to thank all the parties involved who helped make this happen,’ said mayor Walter. Mayor Walter said the two stone markers at the city limits – which were built by current council member William Thomas’ father – will be moved to the Zebulon City Park so they will be preserved for future generations.